I've said it a million times, and I'll say it a million more. The power of cross-promotion for any industry is one of the best–and least utilized–marketing avenues.
Luckily, I do know the value of the efforts of many versus one, and the ten authors who participated in the Best Indie Book Festival, along with the sixty-two bloggers and supporters, all gained much more than just recognition from participating.
During the past two weeks, I worked with nine of the other finalists from the Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Book Awards, sixty-two supportive bloggers and authors, and many, many supporters of the World Literary Cafe. We put together the Best Indie Book Festival, and worked together to not only promote the festival and help the authors gain exposure, but I also worked to teach the participants and supporters how to effectively cross-promote and about the benefits of cross-promotion. You see, these are not just supporters of events, these are individuals who each have something to offer, whether it is a blog, review, book, or product, they were willing to learn to succeed, and help others while they learn.
I'm proud to say that overnight, not only did we bring SIX TITLES to BESTSELLER STATUS (see stats below), but we also increased sales across the board (one author sold more than he'd sold in 4 months total!), increased blog exposure (one blogger even gained 8x her following–another added an additional 1600 hits to her blog, another saw 155% increase in cyber traffic, and still another increased her Alexa ranking 20,000 points!). This was NOT a 99 cent event. This was NOT a FREE event. These were books priced from $2.99-$5.99 in a very difficult marketing arena. These are TRUE WINNERS!
Bestseller Status in Paid Kindle Store
PEGASUS FALLING (Ranked #207,065 BEFORE the event, #6,892 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store)
- #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > Continental European
- #2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Continental European
RIVER IN THE SEA (Ranked #156,825 BEFORE the event, #11,318 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store )
- #5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Historical Fiction > Military & Wars
- #8 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Military & Wars
- #69 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > History & Historical Fiction
A DEATH ON THE WOLF (Ranked #125,625 BEFORE the event, #5,340 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store)
- #13 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States
- #17 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > United States
- #57 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age
LAST ONE CHOSEN (Ranked #105,534 BEFORE the event, #9,980 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store)
- #60 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Legal
- #77 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Legal
PROJECT MOSES (Ranked #32,796 BEFORE the event, #10,959 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store)
- #38 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Urban Life
THE FALL OF BILLY HITCHINGS (Ranked #108,740 BEFORE of the event, #26,603 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store)
- #99 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Series
MORE RANKINGS INCREASES
OMAR- Ranked #23,591 BEFORE of the event, #10,871 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store
COME BACK TO ME– #7,533 BEFORE of the event, #4580 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store
AFTER THE FOG- #24,170 BEFORE of the event, #4767 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store
CHASING INNOCENCE– #179,565 BEFORE of the event, #4723 PEAK during the event in PD Kindle Store
Those rankings are impressive, but most importantly, taking part in this effort enabled us to forge friendships and working relationships that will carry on for YEARS to come.
The power of cross-promotion is more than a marketing effort. It's a building of relationships, nurturing of friendships, and an educational platform for all. No one paid to be part of these efforts. No one was promised anything more than support. I am lucky to be surrounded by such supportive and kind people. I hope you are, too!
I'd personally like to thank my Awesome Support Team and the authors who participated in the event.! #GoTeamPIF. Ya'll totally rock!
Wanna see the books?
Click the image below to visit the Festival page!
Melissa Foster is a New York Time and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women's fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page.